Hundreds of people have been injured following a massive explosion and fire at the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, more than 1,000km (620 miles) south of capital Tehran.
According to officials and state media on Saturday, a “massive explosion” at Shahid Rajaei, the country’s largest commercial port located in Hormozgan province on Iran’s southern coast.
According to state media, at least 516 people were injured. Those who were injured were transferred to nearby medical centres, Al Jazeera reported.
Iranian state television said initial reports indicate negligence in the storage of flammable materials at the site, while Tehran Times reported that the explosion of several containers was the initial cause of the blast.
Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, director of Hormozgan province’s crisis management organisation, told state television that the injured have been transferred to medical facilities.
He said that safety officials had previously visited the site of the incident, and issued safety warnings.
bd-pratidin/GR
